Help!!!

[jus some gal]

A close friend has just told me they have been living with HIV for a number of years, & only two others know of thier condition, not only do I need to convince them to tell their family, but I would like to know if it is essential that they tell their new employer (NHS) of their condition. Many thanks in advance

[4getmenot]

Why do you need them to convince them to tell their family, you could advise them to but at the end of the day it is their life and up to them. I'm not quite sure on the new employer thing though.

[Fingerprint]

These days HIV is compared to Diabetes in that it's a chronic illness that can be managed through medication and living a healthly lifestyle. Of course this depends upon the individuals circumstances and how early the virus was detected but with combination therapy, HIV sufferers can lead relatively normal lives and live relatively normal lifespans. It is not a legal requirement to inform employers about it. I think it is up to your friend if they tell their family or not but I feel that not telling them may save them from a lot of unneccesary pain and upset.

[Quizmonkey]

Fingerprint - my answer was to be almost identical to yours! I was talking to an immunolgist friend recently and he told me of the current 'diabetes' status of HIV - which I was amazed at. How sad that that the scummy press in this country don't report such major medical progress in the same way they reported it as the 'epidemic timebomb of death' in the 80s.

[Fingerprint]

Well you know Quizmonkey, good news does not sell papers. In fact many of the newspaper stories covering HIV still pander to the idea that it is death sentance.